The present invention relates generally to the field of nanoparticles and more particularly to nanoparticles having tunable optical properties.
An article by Spadavecchia et al., entitled “Au Nanoparticles Prepared by Physical Method on Si and Sapphire Substrates for Biosensor Applications,” J. Phys. Chem. B, 109 (37), 17347-17349, 2005, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, describes the preparation of gold (Au) nanoparticles formed by thermal evaporation of a thin Au film and subsequent annealing. The Au nanoparticles were reported to have an average diameter of 15.8 nm and a particle density of 1.8×1011 cm−2.